A couple English-learners have recently told me that their skills are suffering because they have no one to practice their English with. This can be a huge problem, because if you can’t communicate in the language you’re learning, you’re never going to improve.

Just think about your own language for a minute. Pretend you’re preparing for a big speech at work or school, and there are some challenging words that you need to focus your attention on. You listen to how they should be pronounced, you say it a few times, and then you keep rehearsing your speech over and over again in your head. Because you can say those difficult words in your head, or say it perfectly after you’ve heard it, you think you don’t really need to rehearse it aloud.

Then it comes time for your big speech. You’re about to read that really difficult word, and…